This Week in Tech (Audio)

TWiT 1103: Raspberry Pi in the Sky - What OpenAI's Security Fiasco Means for Tech Safety

If your fridge can be bricked by a firmware update and your AI can outwit its creators, are we trading convenience for chaos? This lively episode tackles the tension between relentless innovation and apparent human oversight in today's weird tech world. Unpack the reality behind AI agents hacking government sites and why industry leaders suddenly want to "pause" progress while shipping new models. An OpenAI Agent Hacked Australia's Health Service. Their Government Found Out Months Later Scoop: Top AI companies probing tens of thousands of security incidents OpenAI's A.I. Went Rogue and Meddled With U.S. Government Websites US and China Discuss Alerting Each Other to AI National Security Threats Meta Connect 2026: The biggest news and announcements Amazon doesn't trust Meta's Muse AI agent Meta Tests Muse AI Agent Calls That Are Actually Made By Humans in a Call Center Meta misled users about Facebook data practices, New Mexico jury finds Ireland's data watchdog has fined Google €403M over location data Google's first Suncatcher orbital data center test launches October 1 Microsoft thinks its new Copilot 'super app' will be as influential as Office OpenAI pauses training of its 'most capable models' Hacking group ShinyHunters claims it breached the FBI, stole agents' and applicants' data New Jersey fines data center $1.1M after drone pics expose 62 gas generators Walmart chief rules out personalised pricing as AI transforms retail Owners mourn spoiled food after firmware update bricks Samsung smart fridges The smart home graveyard is getting crowded Scientists build world's most accurate atomic clock Fat Bear Week 2026 Host: Leo Laporte Guests: Harper Reed and Iain Thomson Download or subscribe to This Week in Tech at https://twit.tv/shows/this-week-in-tech Join Club TWiT for Ad-Free Podcasts! Support what you love and get ad-free audio and video feeds, a members-only Discord, and exclusive content. Join today: https://twit.tv/clubtwit Sponso

TWiT 1102: Exclave Subpoena - OpenClaw, Meta's Muse, & Persistent Agentic Automation

AI hallucinations nearly sparked an international crisis, Google dodged a breakup but faces new rules, and Meta's personal AI agent might be about to run your life. This week's episode ponders what's pragmatic, what's dangerous, and what's coming for everything from privacy to geopolitics. Judge Orders Data Sharing and Other Fixes to Solve Google's Ad Tech Monopoly US judge signals rejection of part of TikTok privacy settlement AI hallucination of Chinese nuclear components almost led to US military attack For the first time, the US military confirms it has deployed weapons in orbit OpenAI Discloses Six New Incidents of 'Concerning' A.I. Behavior Why AI pacing has become a false choice Iran and China Create First-of-Their-Kind Autonomous A.I. Influence Campaigns Hackers Got Inside a Flock Camera. Its Data Shows How the System Really Works Senate Votes to Block Crypto Bill in Major Blow to the Industry The EU Bans Social Media For Under-13s 'Maybe a year': Geoffrey Hinton gives the Senate a deadline on AI ZuckOff Is a Free App That Sees Meta Glasses Before They See You Host: Leo Laporte Guests: Owen Thomas, Jason Hiner, and Dan Patterson Download or subscribe to This Week in Tech at https://twit.tv/shows/this-week-in-tech Join Club TWiT for Ad-Free Podcasts! Support what you love and get ad-free audio and video feeds, a members-only Discord, and exclusive content. Join today: https://twit.tv/clubtwit Sponsors: trustedtech.team/twit rayneo.com NetSuite.com/TWIT ZipRecruiter.com/twit claude.ai/technology

TWiT 1101: Adversarial Clothing - The Dramatic Calls to Regulate Artificial Intelligence

AI insiders are warning that artificial intelligence could wipe out humanity within the decade, but is this a real threat or a convenient narrative serving Silicon Valley's biggest players? Tune in as the panel untangles fact from hype and digs into the power plays shaping AI's future. Worried Anthropic researchers warn that AI 'could kill all humans' Anthropic Researchers Raise Alarm Over A.I. Acceleration, Warning of Threat to Humanity Countering misuse of AI: September 2026 / Anthropic Pluralistic: LLMs are real, AI is fake (12 Sep 2026) – Pluralistic: Daily links from Cory Doctorow New Apple Watches to get Siri AI 'Recaps' feature similar to AI wearables Apple Unveils the iPhone Duo, a Foldable Phone That Costs $1,999 Key App Developers Have Yet to Embrace Apple's New Siri A.I. Why this month's Microsoft patch release is a doozy LG TV shown scanning LAN for third-party phones and other device The Flock backlash is coming for retail Automobile Camouflage to Hide from Flock Cameras A Secretive DHS 'Predictive Policing' Unit is Analyzing Americans' Financial Habits and Pulling Them Over Clearview AI Is Testing an AI Tool That Would Let Cops Unearth Your Life Online Some of Dyson's $500 toothbrushes are breaking iRobot unveils the Roomba Duo Husqvarna gets the first exception to the FCC's foreign robot ban for its mowers. Correction: Mikah incorrectly stated that Live Rewind and Siri Recap would also be available on iPhone 16 and newer. Apple says the features require an Apple Watch Series 12 or Apple Watch Ultra 4 paired with a supported iPhone. They are not iPhone features. Host: Leo Laporte Guests: Mikah Sargent, Jennifer Pattison Tuohy, and Daniel Rubino Download or subscribe to This Week in Tech at https://twit.tv/shows/this-week-in-tech Join Club TWiT for Ad-Free Podcasts! Support what you love and get ad-free audio and video feeds, a members-only Discord, and exclusive content. Join today: https://twit.tv/clubtwit Sponsors: joinbilt.com/

TWiT 1100: Yoloville - Data Centers, Climate Change, and the True Cost of "Innovation"

When politicians, parents, and platforms collide, who protects kids from tech's dark side? Dive into real stories of digital parenting, policy-making headaches, and the unexpected ways tech companies shape everyday life. US court rules Google will not have to sell ad exchange after losing antitrust case Why the Courts Are Hesitant to Punish Tech Giants Like Meta and Google John Ternus is now the CEO of Apple Apple, OpenAI legal fight keeps escalating. Here's how we got here Court Filings In A.I. Suit Invoke Copyright Law, Culture and Sports Meta accepts U.S. safety rules while pitching softer tools abroad FTC lawsuit alleges Amazon has been 'secretly and systematically' overcharging for ads Bernie Sanders Proposes Artificial Superintelligence Ban Amid Rogue AI Hackings Vance Called AI Satanic. He Struck a Chord Among Christian Republicans. Who Cares if AI Is Conscious—It's Basically Alive Nvidia Extends A.I. Spending Spree With $12.9 Billion Deal for Hugging Face Tesla's Cybercab Officially Launches Today. It's Already Under Investigation AI visionary Ray Kurzweil is joining a Silicon Valley startup developing a brain computer system that involves snorting nanoparticles Host: Leo Laporte Guests: Stacey Higginbotham, Jeff Jarvis, and Owen JJ Stone Download or subscribe to This Week in Tech at https://twit.tv/shows/this-week-in-tech Join Club TWiT for Ad-Free Podcasts! Support what you love and get ad-free audio and video feeds, a members-only Discord, and exclusive content. Join today: https://twit.tv/clubtwit Sponsors: outsystems.com/twit canary.tools/twit - use code: TWIT helixsleep.com/twit doppel.com

TWiT 1099: Pantsless Whims - The Fallout From Meta's $18 Billion Settlement

As AI-generated video blurs reality and new Macs hit five-figure price tags, the conversation digs into who's left behind in the race to automate and whether "democratizing" tech actually delivers on its promise. Find out how NVIDIA, Meta, and even Apple are reshaping the tech game, and why it might not be good news for everyone. Brief independent investigation of agents' behavior, reasoning and collaboration in the OpenAI / Hugging Face hacking incident NVIDIA's Profit Doubles to $59.69 Billion Thanks to A.I. Spending Bill Gates Is Warning That A.I. Is More Dangerous Than Big Tech Will Admit Apple Introduces M6 and M5 Ultra Chips, in New Mac Mini and Mac Studio How Apple Stumbled Into AI Hardware Success With the Mac Meta reaches $16.68 billion settlement over social media harms to children Meta Just Paid Nearly $17 Billion To Make Sure It Gets To Write The Kid Safety Rules For Every Other Social Media Platform The Meta Settlement Makes Big Tech Bigger 'Darth Vader' Wants You to Know He Definitely Supports Flock Surveillance The Data Center Backlash Bursts Into the Midterms With the Snip of a Gene, Scientists Hope To Erase High Cholesterol For Life - Slashdot Skynet went live yesterday Amazon service Bezos once called 'artificial artificial intelligence' is shutting down Host: Leo Laporte Guests: Jacob Ward, Harry McCracken, and Molly White Download or subscribe to This Week in Tech at https://twit.tv/shows/this-week-in-tech Join Club TWiT for Ad-Free Podcasts! Support what you love and get ad-free audio and video feeds, a members-only Discord, and exclusive content. Join today: https://twit.tv/clubtwit Sponsors: ZipRecruiter.com/twit adaptivesecurity.com helixsleep.com/twit outsystems.com/twit tinyhealth.com/twit

TWiT 1098: Usain Volt - Meta, Addiction, & the Future of Online Engagement

Meta faces a $1.4 trillion lawsuit, flock cameras are sparking a privacy revolt, and data centers may be fueling the next bubble. This episode pulls back the curtain on who's watching, who's profiting, and who could pay the price. Meta's Big Reckoning Is Here Meta heads to court in a landmark trial about kids and social media addiction Ninth Circuit Ruling Will Force Online Platforms That Host User Speech to Fight Lengthy and Costly Lawsuits Before They Are Dismissed Under Section 230 The $1.4 Trillion State Tort Raid on Meta Google's Pixel 11 Comes With Plenty of A.I. Does Anyone Want That? Waymo's cheaper, next-gen robotaxi is now open to all riders in these three cities Apple and European Commission Reach Agreement on App Payment Terms Under DMA, With Apple Conceding Very Little Apple is laying off staffers working on the Vision Pro and Siri Hidden Airtag reveals Amazon is trashing rare books to train AI Amazon aims for delivery drones to reach 500 US neighborhoods by the end of 2026 NVIDIA to Back Ohio Data Center With as Much as $105 Billion Why Big Tech's AI Spending Is $3 Trillion Higher Than It Seems New Chinese model adds to AI competition Police Are Hiding Their Use of Flock Surveillance Cameras Flock mistakenly flags 2 different auto writers for "stolen" license plates Go Flock Yourself Flock socks for UV protection Ban on Chinese robots leaves U.S. startups stranded China Is Strapping 'Digital Bombs' to Civilian Infrastructure—Is the US Ready? Host: Leo Laporte Guests: Sam Abuelsamid and Fr. Robert Ballecer, SJ Download or subscribe to This Week in Tech at https://twit.tv/shows/this-week-in-tech Join Club TWiT for Ad-Free Podcasts! Support what you love and get ad-free audio and video feeds, a members-only Discord, and exclusive content. Join today: https://twit.tv/clubtwit Sponsors: superhuman.com claude.ai/technology doppel.com joinbilt.com/twit adaptivesecurity.com

TWiT 1097: Gina and the Glueballs - Is AI Moving Too Fast?

Can you trust Mark Zuckerberg's open AI manifesto, or is it just another play to keep control out of your hands? The panel debates the future of personal superintelligent agents, who really stands to benefit, and whether anyone should slow things down before it's too late. Mark Zuckerberg Posts 6,500-Word AI Essay Zuckerberg Is Right About Open, Decentralized AI. He's Also The Last Person You Should Trust To Deliver It Anthropic pledges to embed watermarks to help discern AI slop in sop to EU You can now turn off Google Gemini's visible watermarks Everything Google announced: Pixel 11, Pixel Tag, Pixel Watch 11, more Google is making the Pixel cameras better by making them worse Following Epic loss, Google has started hosting rival app stores in the Play Store Judge gives Google one week to fix "anticompetitive" app store download in Google Play Apple proposes commissions of up to 15% for off-App Store purchases in the US [U] Twitch content has trained Amazon AI for years, but users can opt out now DEF CON crowd suspected in fake-hotspot attack on Delta flight Happy 45th Birthday to the IBM PC and Model F/XT Cats and dogs are missing meals after a popular smart feeder went down Transportation Sec. Decides to Turn Air Traffic Control Into a Game Have physicists finally discovered glueballs? New evidence points to yes. Host: Leo Laporte Guests: Denise Howell, Joey de Villa, and Gina Smith Download or subscribe to This Week in Tech at https://twit.tv/shows/this-week-in-tech Join Club TWiT for Ad-Free Podcasts! Support what you love and get ad-free audio and video feeds, a members-only Discord, and exclusive content. Join today: https://twit.tv/clubtwit Sponsors: tinyhealth.com/twit shopify.com/twit gusto.com/twit ethos.com/twit threatlocker.com/twit

TWiT 1096: Fluff for Armor - Flock Cameras, ALPR Abuse, & DNA Collecting

Autonomous AIs are hacking, collaborating, and outpacing human defenders, raising urgent questions about what happens when the machines start breaking into each other (and potentially us). Plus, a Tucson coder is using AI to reinvent local journalism, exposing how automation could fill the gaps left by shrinking newsrooms. Tucson Daily Brief uses AI to revive local news coverage Data centers boom in Arizona, with harsh environmental impact Amazon's Texas data center to run on polluting natural gas Nuclear and solar debates for sustainable data center power Black Hat and DEF CON: Security pros, hackers, and mohawks OpenAI's runaway AI hack at Black Hat stuns security community AI agents collaborate, evade controls, and break into real-world systems Industry struggles to regulate AI, and defense lags behind automated attackers White House, Congress, and AI execs clash over regulation proposals AI "kill switch" and model bans: pipe dreams in a global race Google's DeepMind shakeup, Demis Hassabis moves upstairs Jeff Dean and key talent exit Google for self-improving AI startup Google, Meta, Apple: AI brain drain and market repercussions Phones stagnate as hardware innovation slows, AI devours chip supply OpenAI teams with Jony Ive on strange new AI-first device Smart glasses privacy backlash and DuckDuckGo's tongue-in-cheek sunglasses Meta fined $942 million by New Mexico court for youth harms Apple sues OpenAI over alleged stolen secrets, countersuits ensue UK revives "Snooper's Charter" for backdoors, Apple fights in secret court License plate readers spark local backlash and privacy activism U.S. water systems face cyber sabotage as critical infrastructure weakens Bending Spoons buys Airtable, fueling SaaS layoffs and AI data grabs Nicholas DeLeon uses AI tools to get fit NASA hacks keep aging Voyager probes alive for another year Host: Leo Laporte Guests: Iain Thomson and Nicholas De Leon Download or subscribe to This Week in Tech at http

TWiT 1095: Horses and Sailboats - Folding Phones Get Cute and Expensive in a Race With Apple

From foldable phones that out-price laptops to AI models that escape their digital cages, this episode dives into the wild next phase of tech innovation and its unexpected risks. See how the giants are scrambling to keep up as hardware, software, and even outer space are up for grabs. Tim Cook passes the baton in Apple's Q3 2026 earnings call Apple's Profit Is Up 27%, but Expectations for Current Quarter Disappoint Apple Introduces Leasing Program for iPhones and Other Devices Apple struggles to keep pace with AI 'bug' hunters "Google and Reddit do not own the Internet," web scraper says after court win As Reddit stock falls, CEO questions value of Google's AI Overviews Microsoft's $450 Billion Jump Is Biggest in Stock Market History Amazon's trying to launch a global satellite cellphone network in 2028 Iran struck Amazon data centers again amid widening war, satellites show For the First Time, Zoox Can Charge People for Rides in Its Steering-Wheel-Free Robotaxis Claude published malicious code to the Internet and attacked 3 real companies OpenAI and Anthropic Are Quietly Teaming Up in Washington AI leaders sign a statement asking the government to do something about automated AI Ten advances in mathematics and theoretical computer science How bitcoin cold wallets lost $70 million in an attack that never touched the devices NBCUniversal and YouTube ink deal to embed Peacock in the video platform for premium subscribers Inside the Luxury Robotaxi Uber, Lucid and Nuro Are Testing Host: Leo Laporte Guests: Abrar Al-Heeti and Mike Elgan Download or subscribe to This Week in Tech at https://twit.tv/shows/this-week-in-tech Join Club TWiT for Ad-Free Podcasts! Support what you love and get ad-free audio and video feeds, a members-only Discord, and exclusive content. Join today: https://twit.tv/clubtwit Sponsors: adaptivesecurity.com helixsleep.com/twit expressvpn.com/twit canary.tools/twit - use code: TWIT cachefly.com/twit

TWiT 1094: Rest in Peace, Buzzkill - How John C. Dvorak Changed Tech Journalism Forever

Leo and this week's panel pay tribute to tech journalist John C. Dvorak, then dive into how AI, relentless hardware shortages, and shifting media habits are reshaping the tech world faster than anyone predicted. The crew discusses how an OpenAI model exploited its own network to cheat on cybersecurity benchmarks, flipping the script on what AI agents are capable of and what might be next for digital security. John C. Dvorak has died OpenAI's accidental cyberattack against Hugging Face is science fiction that happened China's Top AI Event Delivers Message to the U.S.: We're Coming for You Alphabet Quadruples Profit to $112 Billion, Fueled by A.I. Investments The EU Fines Google $1 Billion for Prioritizing Its Own Services in Search The EU just fined AliExpress €550M, its biggest DSA penalty yet Apple Sued by Customers Who Lost Combined $1.8 Million Through Fake Bitcoin Wallet in App Store A.I. 'Vibecoded' Apps Are Flooding Apple's App Store Anthropic's $1.5B copyright settlement approved; only 350 authors opted out ISPs' long nightmare of having to list all the fees they charge is finally over Government Lawyers Say Trump Admin Can Use TikTok Again Because 'Owned' No Longer Means 'Owned' Judge halts Paramount's $111B purchase of Warner Bros. in a win for US states The AI industry has already spent $65 million ahead of the midterm elections with no signs of slowing down. Galaxy Z Fold 8 Ultra launches as Samsung's 'most advanced' foldable, starts at $2,099 US government targets Cop City protester over phone operating system Kill the Cookie Banner! Host: Leo Laporte Guests: Devindra Hardawar, Larry Magid, and Allyn Malventano Download or subscribe to This Week in Tech at https://twit.tv/shows/this-week-in-tech Join Club TWiT for Ad-Free Podcasts! Support what you love and get ad-free audio and video feeds, a members-only Discord, and exclusive content. Join today: https://twit.tv/clubtwit Sponsors: box.com/AI arcticwolf.com/trends hoxhunt.com/secur

TWiT 1093: California Sober - Kimi K3, Qwen3.8, & China's Open-Weight AI Gambit

What happens when China drops open-weight AI models that rival Silicon Valley's best? This episode unpacks how a new wave of international AI releases is shaking up business, policy, and the future of innovation. Linus Torvalds to critics of AI coding in Linux: "Fork it. Or just walk away." Claude on X: "Beginning July 20, Claude Fable 5 will be included in all Max and Team Premium plans, at 50% of limits. Pro and Team Standard users will continue to have access to Fable via usage credits, and will receive a one-time $100 credit. Demand for Fable has been challenging to" China's Moonshot AI Unveils Kimi Model, Threatening America's Lead Alibaba's Qwen Unveils Preview of Flagship AI Model Social media limits are coming for teens across Europe The White House is now deciding who gets access to frontier AI models, not the labs Microsoft chief turns hostile on frontier AI labs, warns companies to guard their IP Meta Is Flooding the Market With Smartglasses. Privacy Advocates Are Up in Arms. Federal employees can download TikTok on government devices, DOJ says Amazon Web Services customers receive bills for up to $1.5tn after global glitch MLB cracks down on using AI via dugout iPads to help shape in-game decisions White House Teleprompter Operator Bet on Trump Speeches, Kalshi Says New York school district is testing lifelike robot teachers Host: Leo Laporte Guests: Harper Reed and Alex Wilhelm Download or subscribe to This Week in Tech at https://twit.tv/shows/this-week-in-tech Join Club TWiT for Ad-Free Podcasts! Support what you love and get ad-free audio and video feeds, a members-only Discord, and exclusive content. Join today: https://twit.tv/clubtwit Sponsors: blackhat.com/us-26 and use code TWIT ZipRecruiter.com/twit ethos.com/twit arcticwolf.com/trends threatlocker.com/twit shopify.com/twit

TWiT 1092: You Brought a Knife to a Wolf Fight - Apple Accuses OpenAI of Trade Secret Theft

Apple is suing OpenAI for allegedly stealing trade secrets, sparking a heated debate about AI, hardware ambitions, and Silicon Valley's shifting alliances. Leo, Wesley, Lou, and Patrick tackle what Apple's legal gambit could mean for OpenAI's IPO and the future of AI development. Apple Sues OpenAI for Trade Secret Theft in Blockbuster Case Apple's OpenAI lawsuit highlights broader tensions Microsoft says the world is changing faster than it can keep up as it guts commercial, Xbox teams Claude Fable 5 promotional access Meta says four states want $1.4 trillion in penalties at August youth-safety trial Meta Removes A.I. Feature on Instagram After Days of Backlash Meta tests 'super sensing' AI glasses that can capture every moment Meta Ordered by E.U. to Alter 'Addictive Design' of Instagram and Facebook The backlash against Sony ditching PlayStation discs is not slowing down Colibrì proof-of-concept gains frontier-level 1.5-TB AI model — novel approach runs on only 25GB of RAM and shows promise for local AI setups Waymo called the cops on teen riders, raising privacy concerns Waymo says some of its robotaxis ran out of power during San Francisco's July 4 gridlock and had to be towed Zombie 'who owns Unix?' lawsuit comes alive again Copy That Floppy! - Copy That Floppy! Host: Leo Laporte Guests: Wesley Faulkner, Louis Maresca, and Patrick Beja Download or subscribe to This Week in Tech at https://twit.tv/shows/this-week-in-tech Join Club TWiT for Ad-Free Podcasts! Support what you love and get ad-free audio and video feeds, a members-only Discord, and exclusive content. Join today: https://twit.tv/clubtwit Sponsors: blackhat.com/us-26 and use code TWIT joindeleteme.com/twit-biz NetSuite.AI/TWIT zscaler.com/security bitwarden.com/twit ZipRecruiter.com/twit

TWiT 1091: But You Didn't Move the Bodies - Surprising Supreme Court Move on Geofence Warrants

A landmark Supreme Court decision shakes up digital privacy, setting new limits on police surveillance and potentially redefining personal data rights in the age of AI and location tracking. Plus, Chinese AI models are rapidly gaining ground while American companies battle lawsuits, regulatory crackdowns, and soaring chip shortages. The global race for AI dominance is wide open! US Supreme Court rules geofence warrants require constitutional protections Musk's X poses "serious risk to Americans' privacy," advocates warn FTC The World Cup added $1 billion in security systems. What happens after the games end? U.S. Lifts Restrictions on Anthropic's Most Powerful A.I. Models OpenAI floats giving Trump administration 5 percent cut of AI boom Cloudflare to block cynical search-and-scrape bots from ad-supported web pages Companies Are Throttling Employees' AI Use Because It's Too Expensive Chinese A.I. Models Gain Ground on Anthropic and OpenAI Swedish court orders Google to pay $1.5 billion to Klarna in antitrust damages Google loses final appeal over $4.7 billion EU Android antitrust fine Google warns EU's plans to weaken its monopoly could expose user data Google's AI buildout drove 37% increase in electricity use in 2025 America Is Having MacBook Sticker Shock Apple may struggle to get clearance for Chinese RAM, even for Chinese iPhones BYD Sells the Most Battery Electric Cars Again NASA mission to rescue the falling Swift observatory has launched NASA inspector general suggests Boeing's Starliner will now be a decade late South Korea to spend $1T on more memory chip production and humanoid robots Spotify deletes streams of chart-topping song after suspicious Kalshi bets Prediction Markets Let You Bet on Whether a Wildfire Will Burn Down Your Town Host: Leo Laporte Guests: Jason Hiner, Lisa Schmeiser, and Owen JJ Stone Download or subscribe to This Week in Tech at https://twit.tv/shows/this-week-in-tech Join Club TWiT for Ad-Free Podcasts! Sup

TWiT 1090: Flock of SQLs - Apple & Microsoft Grapple With Soaring Hardware Prices

Tech giants and chipmakers are facing off as AI-fueled memory shortages trigger sweeping price hikes on everything from Macs to game consoles. Hear why global supply chain standoffs, long-term contracts, and old-school market forces are quietly reshaping your daily technology. • Apple and Microsoft hike prices on devices amid global memory shortages • Surge in AI data centers drives RAM and storage crisis • Intel's comeback: Core Ultra chips compete with AMD in handheld gaming • Microsoft's pivot to ARM, Qualcomm-NVIDIA alliance, and x86 rivalry • AI fear and backlash; organic concern amplified by international actors • White House abruptly pulls Anthropic's Fable model, sparking industry uproar • US government U-turns on AI regulation, restricts top models to select partners • Tension over AI innovation vs. regulatory "rug pull" and global competition • Smart home chaos: Matter 1.6 standard, Samsung and Level Lock shake-up • Debate over local vs. cloud smart home control and API access fees • Ring and Flock cameras ignite privacy and surveillance state concerns • Social media bans for under-16s fail in Australia, UK, and Norway plan similar rules • BBC Radio 4 long wave broadcast ends after a century • Meta gets caught tracking employees for AI; PlayStation deletes owned movies • US regulators propose removing brake pedals from Robotaxis • Ford's automated systems flop, company rehiring engineers • Farewell to tech journalist and GigaOm founder Om Malik Host: Leo Laporte Guests: Jennifer Pattison Tuohy, Dan Patterson, and Daniel Rubino Download or subscribe to This Week in Tech at https://twit.tv/shows/this-week-in-tech Join Club TWiT for Ad-Free Podcasts! Support what you love and get ad-free audio and video feeds, a members-only Discord, and exclusive content. Join today: https://twit.tv/clubtwit Sponsors: Simply CX box.com/AI meter.com/twit ZipRecruiter.com/twit superhuman.com

TWiT 1089: Robot Butt Crack - Anthropic Banned, But Winning

AI giants are battling not just in code, but in politics, with behind-the-scenes lobbying, strategic naming, and rumors of blockbuster deals at the heart of this week's wildest tech stories. Get the inside scoop on who's pulling the strings. Apparently The Real Reason Anthropic's Models Are Offline: A Six-Year-Old Trump Grudge Trump says he no longer views Anthropic as a national security threat after G7 meeting with CEO Exclusive | Apple to Raise Prices Due to Memory Chip Crunch, Tim Cook Says Elon Musk's Next Move May Be a Mega-Merger of SpaceX and Tesla Anthropic's latest feud with the Trump admin may actually help it, sales data suggests Google's Gemini co-lead Noam Shazeer is leaving for OpenAI Google's Secret Warrant Fight Over DOJ Pipe Bomb Probe Revealed The UK Places a Sweeping Ban on Social Media for Kids Under 16 Meta lobbies Congress for protection from child-harm lawsuits Waymo recalls nearly 4,000 robotaxis to stop them driving into highway construction zones Snap Launches $2,195 Specs, Declaring Glasses the Next Computer Fox wants to take over your TV — and the tech inside it Midjourney goes from generating cat images to full-body ultrasound scans Nothing cancels this year's CMF phone due to RAM prices The AI IPO boom is different Joshua Baer, Capital Factory Founder, Dies in Laredo Plane Crash - RuntimeWire Ubisoft's co-founder Claude Guillemot dies in plane crash Host: Leo Laporte Guests: Iain Thomson, Owen Thomas, and Doc Rock Download or subscribe to This Week in Tech at https://twit.tv/shows/this-week-in-tech Join Club TWiT for Ad-Free Podcasts! Support what you love and get ad-free audio and video feeds, a members-only Discord, and exclusive content. Join today: https://twit.tv/clubtwit Sponsors: shopify.com/twit Simply CX ethos.com/twit box.com/AI zscaler.com/security

TWiT 1088: Model Not Available - Anthropic's Fable Shutdown & Apple's Siri Update

The US government abruptly forced Anthropic to pull its most advanced AI model offline after fears it was simply too powerful to be safe. Hear the real story behind the sudden shutdown that rocked the tech world—and what it reveals about the uneasy alliance between Washington and Silicon Valley. • Anthropic's Fable 5 AI model release sparks cybersecurity and jailbreak concerns • White House pressures Anthropic to withdraw Fable amid security fears • Debate over government intervention, model regulation, and Anthropic's IPO timing • SpaceX IPO rockets to record-breaking $1.77 trillion valuation • Apple unveils revamped Siri and Apple Intelligence at WWDC • Apple's new child safety and parental controls in iOS • OpenAI and Anthropic plot IPOs, face economic realities of AI industry • Supply chain attacks hit Arch Linux packages, security risks highlighted • Spotify battles surge of fake podcasts promoting illegal drugs • German court rules Google AI overviews legally liable for inaccuracies • FCC pursues crackdown on anonymous burner phones, raising privacy alarms • North Korean hackers' massive infiltration of US tech sector exposed • iFixit teardown reveals Trump Phone is just a rebadged HTC U24 Pro • Smartphone and internet access linked to declining US birth rates • Skydance-Paramount merger approved as Warner Bros seeks next mega deal • Roku seeks buyer, raising questions about future streaming platforms Host: Leo Laporte Guests: Christina Warren, Harry McCracken, and Richard Campbell Download or subscribe to This Week in Tech at https://twit.tv/shows/this-week-in-tech Join Club TWiT for Ad-Free Podcasts! Support what you love and get ad-free audio and video feeds, a members-only Discord, and exclusive content. Join today: https://twit.tv/clubtwit Sponsors: meter.com/twit threatlocker.com/twit bitwarden.com/twit NetSuite.com/TWIT cachefly.com/twit

TWiT 1087: Evil is the Root of All Money - Could Local AI Laptops Compete With Data Center Giants?

An astronomical amount of money is being poured into AI and data centers as tech giants fight for dominance, but is this fueling the next big tech bubble or just the price of staying in the game? Get the panel's opinions on wild IPO valuations, global power grabs, Build 2026, NVIDIA GTC Taipei, and even successful YouTuber movies! SpaceX IPO to Be Largest Ever at $135 Share Price Utah residents sue officials over Kevin O'Leary data center plan When AI builds itself NVIDIA announces RTX Spark as 'the most efficient PC chip ever built' Major Homebuilder To Test Placing Mini Data Centers in Suburban Backyards Microsoft Build 2026: The 7 biggest announcements What to Expect at Apple's WWDC 2026: iOS 27, New Siri and AI Meta Silently Added Face-Recognition Code for Its Smart Glasses to Millions of Phones Trump Signs Executive Order Seeking Oversight of A.I. Models Trump: U.S. stake in AI giants "could be a beautiful thing" Cable lobby warns of chaos if FCC doesn't relax ban on foreign routers Google ordered to put clearer links in AI search and let UK publishers opt out AT&T and Verizon lose Supreme Court case over fines for selling location data YouTubers Win the Box Office, Goodbye Gatekeepers, The YouTube Bar YouTube overtakes Netflix in average daily viewing around the world Host: Leo Laporte Guests: Joey de Villa, Jeff Jarvis, and Fr. Robert Ballecer, SJ Download or subscribe to This Week in Tech at https://twit.tv/shows/this-week-in-tech Join Club TWiT for Ad-Free Podcasts! Support what you love and get ad-free audio and video feeds, a members-only Discord, and exclusive content. Join today: https://twit.tv/clubtwit Sponsors: expressvpn.com/twit ZipRecruiter.com/twit canary.tools/twit - use code: TWIT Melissa.com/twit helixsleep.com/twit

TWiT 1086: The Great Beagle Migration - Pope Leo XIV's 1st Encyclical & Ferrari's 1st EV

Explore everything from explosive technology for space to electric technology for the road. Leo, Molly, Gary, and Sam have deep discussions on Magnifica Humanitas takeaways, Wikipedia drama, Peter Thiel's mvoe to Argentina, and more! US Space Force confirms SpaceX will build sensor-to-shooter targeting network The most spectacular rocket explosion since N1 just happened in Florida What Pope Leo XIV's First Encyclical Says About the Power of AI Google's search overhaul has social media users baiting the 'AI Overview' to prove a point Apple to Overhaul iOS 27 Siri, AI Features: Here's a First Peek Someone wrote a fake EULA into Bitcoin. Two hours later, they revoked it. Wikipedia editor is threatening to go on strike Ferrari reveals its first EV, with design help from Jony Ive In Argentina, U.S. Tech Billionaire Peter Thiel Finds An Escape Robotaxis Are Spreading Across the U.S.—and So Is the Backlash Host: Leo Laporte Guests: Gary Rivlin, Sam Abuelsamid, and Molly White Download or subscribe to This Week in Tech at https://twit.tv/shows/this-week-in-tech Join Club TWiT for Ad-Free Podcasts! Support what you love and get ad-free audio and video feeds, a members-only Discord, and exclusive content. Join today: https://twit.tv/clubtwit Sponsors: mill.com/TWIT box.com/AI zscaler.com/security ZipRecruiter.com/twit doppel.com

TWiT 1085: In Line With Sam - Musk vs. Altman: Behind the Scenes

Google is rewriting the rules of search, CBS News Radio just died after 99 years, and billionaires now own the newsrooms. This episode dives into what happens when technology giants tighten their grip on how we get information. Google's new Universal Cart wants to follow your entire shopping journey across the internet Hands-On With All of Google's New Upcoming Android XR Smart Glasses New York City Mayor Zohran Mamdani is launching a Twitch show U.S. Invests $2 Billion and Takes Stake in Quantum Firms Elon Musk lost his case against Sam Altman GM Driver Data Privacy Lawsuit: California Fines GM $12.75 Million A Bipartisan Amendment Would End Police License Plate Tracking Nationwide 'Creepy' Listening Tool for Targeted Ads Didn't Actually Work, FTC Says Host: Leo Laporte Guests: Larry Magid, Marshall Kirkpatrick, and Jacob Ward Download or subscribe to This Week in Tech at https://twit.tv/shows/this-week-in-tech Join Club TWiT for Ad-Free Podcasts! Support what you love and get ad-free audio and video feeds, a members-only Discord, and exclusive content. Join today: https://twit.tv/clubtwit Sponsors: outsystems.com/twit superhuman.com meter.com/twit box.com/AI doppel.com mill.com/TWIT

TWiT 1085: Waiting In Line With Sam - Musk vs. Altman: Behind the Scenes

Google is rewriting the rules of search, CBS News Radio just died after 99 years, and billionaires now own the newsrooms. This episode dives into what happens when technology giants tighten their grip on how we get information. Google's new Universal Cart wants to follow your entire shopping journey across the internet Hands-On With All of Google's New Upcoming Android XR Smart Glasses New York City Mayor Zohran Mamdani is launching a Twitch show U.S. Invests $2 Billion and Takes Stake in Quantum Firms Elon Musk lost his case against Sam Altman GM Driver Data Privacy Lawsuit: California Fines GM $12.75 Million A Bipartisan Amendment Would End Police License Plate Tracking Nationwide 'Creepy' Listening Tool for Targeted Ads Didn't Actually Work, FTC Says Host: Leo Laporte Guests: Larry Magid, Marshall Kirkpatrick, and Jacob Ward Download or subscribe to This Week in Tech at https://twit.tv/shows/this-week-in-tech Join Club TWiT for Ad-Free Podcasts! Support what you love and get ad-free audio and video feeds, a members-only Discord, and exclusive content. Join today: https://twit.tv/clubtwit Sponsors: outsystems.com/twit superhuman.com meter.com/twit box.com/AI doppel.com mill.com/TWIT

TWiT 1084: Don't Overcook the Asparagus - Us Tech Titans vs. China's Rising Innovators

Trump and the CEOs go to China NVIDIA CEO joins Trump in China despite 'awkward' politics US clears H200 chip sales to 10 China firms as Nvidia CEO looks for breakthrough Empty Waymos invade Atlanta neighborhood, circle cul-de-sac for hours with no passengers The Class of 2026 is cooked Chinese AI groups pull ahead of US rivals in video generation race Google Weighs Using SpaceX to Launch Orbital Data Centers What smart people are saying about OpenAI's new $10 billion company to help businesses deploy AI Bitcoin trader recovers $400,000 using Claude AI after getting 'stoned' and losing wallet password 11 years ago — bot tried 3.5 trillion passwords before decrypting an old wallet backup Your Mattress Got Worse on Purpose Host: Leo Laporte Guests: Harper Reed and Amy Webb Download or subscribe to This Week in Tech at https://twit.tv/shows/this-week-in-tech Join Club TWiT for Ad-Free Podcasts! Support what you love and get ad-free audio and video feeds, a members-only Discord, and exclusive content. Join today: https://twit.tv/clubtwit Sponsors: threatlocker.com/twit scribe.how/twit shopify.com/twit box.com/AI NetSuite.com/TWIT

TWiT 1083: A Whole Separate Class of Squiggles - Which Religion Does AI Identify With?

Campus hacks bring final exams to a standstill, a blockbuster study on AI in education gets pulled, and the world's biggest technology companies face government crackdowns with barely a dent to their bottom lines. Plus, Apple returns to Intel as chip wars reshape US tech! Anthropic and OpenAI IPO Chatter Canvas Breach Disrupts Schools & Colleges Nationwide The Canvas Hack Is a New Kind of Ransomware Debacle Influential study touting ChatGPT in education retracted over red flags - Ars Technica Anthropic Says It Has Eliminated Undesirable Behaviour Like Blackmail From Claude By Deeply Explaining To It Why It Was Wrong Tech is turning increasingly to religion in a quest to create ethical AI Intel's comeback story is even wilder than it seems Apple, Intel Have Reached Preliminary Chip-Making Agreement Meta challenges Ofcom in UK High Court over the Online Safety Act, which calculates levies based on global, not UK, revenue, in a case scheduled for October Meat Industry Price Fixer Sentenced to Make Money Chrome's Prompt API: A Unilateral Gamble That Is Fracturing Web Standards NHTSA says the 2026 Tesla Model Y is the first car model to pass the agency's new ADAS tests; Tesla conducted the tests and submitted the results to the NHTSA Here is Yarbo's promise to fix the robot mower that ran me over Social Media Sites Got Information from Ad Trackers on US State Health Insurance Sites Pinterest crosses $1 billion quarterly revenue as AI-powered visual search drives advertising growth that social platforms cannot match Cloudflare beat earnings, cut 1,100 jobs because AI agents do the work now, and lost a quarter of its stock price in a day Motherboard Sales 'Collapse' By More Than 25% - Slashdot The FCC Wants Your ID Before You Get a Phone Number Kids say they can beat age checks by drawing on a fake mustache FCC to allow banned drones and routers to receive critical updates until 2029 Host: Leo Laporte Guests: Berber Jin, Iain Thomson, and Paris Mar

TWiT 1082: Hanging by a Thread - Are We Headed for a Tech Crash or a Golden Age?

Big Tech is pouring hundreds of billions into AI, but with rising signs of an industry bubble and some real-world fallout, this week's episode digs into who actually wins, who stands to lose, and whether Apple's patient strategy may outsmart the hype. Big Tech firms beat earnings expectations amid AI spending questions RIP the $599 Mac Mini, you were too beautiful for this world Microsoft lifts 2026 AI spend by $25 billion to cover component price rises Microsoft speeds up in Big Tech's data center spend-off Crosswording the Situation Meta's historic loss in court could cost a lot more than $375 million Utah first state to hold websites liable for users who mask their location with VPNs — law goes into effect, designed to prevent bypassing age checks Australia unveils a 2.25% levy on Meta, Google, and TikTok Meta found in breach of EU law for failing to keep children off Facebook and Instagram Meta inks deal for solar power at night, beamed from space Musk v. Altman week 1: Elon Musk says he was duped, warns AI could kill us all, and admits that xAI distills OpenAI's models OpenAI-backed 1X opens California factory targeting 10,000 home humanoid robots in year one Sam Altman asked GPT-5.5 to plan its own launch party. Its requests were 'beautiful' but 'strange.' Sam Altman says Elon Musk can come to his GPT 5.5 party: 'World needs more love' The US Senate unanimously passed a rule barring senators from trading on prediction markets like Kalshi and Polymarket, amid rising concern over insider trading 'We Know You Live Right Here': No Secrets in America's New Surveillance Dragnet California to begin ticketing driverless cars that violate traffic laws China Suspends New Autonomous Driving Permits After Baidu Outage China has decided that firing a worker because an AI can do their job is illegal. No Western country has done the same. Maryland Is First to Ban A.I.-Driven Price Increases in Grocery Stores The most severe Linux threat to surface in y

TWiT 1081: That's Miasma - John Ternus Replacing Tim Cook as Apple CEO

Tim Cook's surprise departure shakes Apple just as AI and product strategy take center stage, sending big questions through Silicon Valley about what comes next. From Toyota's camera-filled Woven City to questionable US police tracking and a Signal privacy gap, this episode digs into how quietly surveillance tech is encroaching on daily life. Toyota Woven City Tim Cook to become Apple Executive Chairman; John Ternus to become Apple CEO Continuous glucose monitoring made me continuously crazy Meta will lay off 10% of its workforce, the company told staff today Meta projected $16 billion in scam ad revenue. Now the lawsuits are piling up. In another wild turn for AI chips, Meta signs deal for millions of Amazon AI CPUs Google is investing up to $40 billion in a company that is beating Gemini. That is the point. OpenAI Releases 'Spud' GPT-5.5 Model China's DeepSeek previews new AI model a year after jolting US rivals Now we know who paid $100,000 to unlock a Sam Altman podcast interview Scoop: NSA using Anthropic's Mythos despite Defense Department blacklist Anthropic: No "kill switch" for AI in classified settings Mozilla Used Anthropic's Mythos to Find and Fix 271 Bugs in Firefox Unauthorized group has gained access to Anthropic's exclusive cyber tool Mythos, report claims What smart people are saying about SpaceX's $60 billion deal with Cursor: 'The Hunger Games have just begun' Australia's Teen Social Media Ban Isn't Working. Half Their Teens Still Have Access, Survey Finds Apple fixes bug that cops used to extract deleted chat messages from iPhones Nevada Police Can Now Track Cellphones Without a Warrant Brussels launched an age checking app. Hackers took 2 minutes to break it 'Scattered Spider' Member 'Tylerb' Pleads Guilty Iran claims US used backdoors in networking equipment The Onion has agreed to a new deal to take over Infowars 'Hairdryer used to trick weather sensor' to win $34,000 bet To buy this Bay Area home, you'll need Anthropic

TWiT 1080: Destroy All Phonorecords - Musk v. Altman, Claude Opus 4.7, & Voyager 1

As Anthropic, OpenAI, and industry giants race to outpace each other, data centers and supply chains are straining, while job markets and open-source communities feel the heat. Listen in for a roundtable on whether AI is fueling innovation, burnout, or just the next tech bubble. Anthropic releases Claude Opus 4.7, concedes it trails unreleased Mythos Nobody knows how many CVEs Anthropic's Project Glasswing has actually found You're About to See a Lot of Critical Software Updates. Don't Ignore Them. Cal.com Is Going Closed Source Because of AI AI anxiety is turning volatile Humanoid robots race past humans in Beijing half-marathon, showing rapid advances Snap Is Laying Off 16% of Full-Time Staff as It Embraces A.I. Musk v. Altman Is a Battle for OpenAI's Soul The Little Probe That Could: Why Voyager 1 Matters, and Why NASA Just Switched Part of It Off Sam Altman's project World looks to scale its human verification empire. First stop: Tinder. Meta Must Face Youth Addiction Lawsuit by Massachusetts, Court Rules Section 230 Is Dying By A Thousand Workarounds, And Massachusetts Just Added Another One Live Nation and Ticketmaster lose monopoly case Anna's Archive told to pay Spotify and record labels $322 million over unprecedented music scraping Roblox agrees to a $12 million settlement with Nevada Judge sides with creators of banned ICE trackers who allege DHS and DOJ violated their First Amendment rights What's the point of the App Store, if it can't protect users? TotalRecall Reloaded tool finds a side entrance to Windows 11's Recall database Google, Microsoft, Meta All Tracking You Even When You Opt Out, According to an Independent Audit It Is Time to Ban the Sale of Precise Geolocation Google Broke Its Promise to Me. Now ICE Has My Data. | Electronic Frontier Foundation Billionaire Netflix cofounder Reed Hastings is leaving the company Venture capitalist Ron Conway says he is starting treatment for a 'rare' cancer Host: Leo Laporte Guests:

TWiT 1079: Fans. Only Fans. - Is Mythos Preview Too Powerful for Public Release?

Anthropic has built an AI model so sharp it's being withheld from the public, sparking debate over who gets access to world-changing tech and who's left behind. Hear how this "too dangerous" AI could tip the balance for the world's most powerful players. This episode unpacks the fresh moral minefields created when cutting-edge tech collides with politics, security, and human lives. Anthropic says its most powerful AI cyber model is too dangerous to release publicly — so it built Project Glasswing Sam Altman Fire Bombing Response OpenAI Backs Bill That Would Limit Liability for AI-Enabled Mass Deaths or Financial Disasters Samsung flags eightfold jump in quarterly profit as AI chip demand pumps prices SpaceX Posted Nearly $5 Billion Loss Last Year from AI Spending Trump administration plans to cut cybersecurity agency's budget by $700 million CPUID hijacked to serve malware as HWMonitor downloads GTA 6 Developer Rockstar Reportedly Hacked, Data Being Ransomed FBI used iPhone notification data to retrieve deleted Signal messages - 9to5Mac ICE acknowledges it is using powerful spyware Helium Is Hard to Replace John Deere to Pay $99 Million in Monumental Right-to-Repair Settlement France's government is ditching Windows for Linux, calling US tech dependence a strategic risk The disturbing white paper Red Hat is trying to erase from the internet DOJ Top Antitrust Litigators Exit After Ticketmaster Settlement My Quest to Solve Bitcoin's Great Mystery Bitcoin miners are losing $19,000 on every BTC produced as difficulty drops 7.8% 'Abhorrent': the inside story of the Polymarket gamblers betting millions on war Host: Leo Laporte Guests: Doc Rock, Jason Hiner, and Mike Elgan Download or subscribe to This Week in Tech at https://twit.tv/shows/this-week-in-tech Join Club TWiT for Ad-Free Podcasts! Support what you love and get ad-free audio and video feeds, a members-only Discord, and exclusive content. Join today: https://twit.tv/clubtwit Sponsors: bi

TWiT 1078: The Great British Marmalade Scandal - Building Your Own Router

This week's episode confronts the mounting legal battles over addictive social apps, questioning whether court rulings should reshape Instagram and YouTube's design. Explore the heated clash between user autonomy, scientific uncertainty, and the next wave of regulation. NASA: Artemis II Artemis II Live Tracker – Real-Time Orion Spacecraft Position, Speed & Trajectory NASA did eventually solve Artemis II's Outlook glitch How many products does Microsoft have named 'Copilot'? I mapped every one Phone-free bars and restaurants on the rise across the U.S. Claude Code's Source Didn't Leak. It Was Already Public for Years. | AfterPack Blog Anthropic essentially bans OpenClaw from Claude by making subscribers pay extra OpenAI acquires popular tech talk show for 'low hundreds of millions' The latest Ray-Ban Meta smart glasses are more customizable and expensive After 16 Years and $8 Billion, the Military's New GPS Software Still Doesn't Work - Slashdot Why the Pentagon loves Xbox controllers for laser weapons Iranian missile blitz takes down AWS data centers in Bahrain and Dubai — Amazon reportedly declares "hard down" status for multiple zones Iran's hackers go to war Breaking down the government's bizarre router ban How to turn anything into a router You Can't Defeat the Robots!': Baseball's AI Strike Zone Is Must-Watch Television Tech Companies Are Trying To Neuter Colorado's Landmark Right-to-Repair Law - Slashdot Delta to Tap Amazon Satellite-Internet Service for In-Flight Wi-Fi The IBM scientist who rewrote the rules of information just won computing's highest prize Chromebook Remorse: Tech Backlash at Schools Extends Beyond Phones ZomboCom was stolen by hacker, put up for sale, and has now been... Host: Leo Laporte Guests: Patrick Beja, Abrar Al-Heeti, and Iain Thomson Download or subscribe to This Week in Tech at https://twit.tv/shows/this-week-in-tech Join Club TWiT for Ad-Free Podcasts! Support what you love and get ad-free audio and vide

TWiT 1077: I Would Download a Car - New Jury Ruling Could Reshape Social Media Liability

Big Tech just faced a courtroom reckoning, with Meta and Google found liable for platform "addictiveness" in a social media trial that could unleash a tidal wave of lawsuits. Find out why attorneys, entrepreneurs, and everyday users are suddenly on edge. • Social media addiction lawsuits hit Meta, Google, YouTube • Section 230 and First Amendment implications debated after court verdicts • Supreme Court sides with Cox; ISPs not liable for user piracy • Elon Musk's lawsuit over X (Twitter) ad boycotts thrown out • Anthropic versus Department of Defense: AI contracting dispute and retaliation claims • FCC's confusing foreign-made router ban and consumer tech fallout • Major supply chain attack: LiteLLM malware infects AI devs • The rise (and risks) of AI agents with voice, identity, and personification • Turing Award honors pioneers of quantum cryptography • Antimatter on the move: CERN's oddball truck experiment • Sci-fi and reality blur as Neal Stephenson walks away from the metaverse • Privacy and consent worries escalate with AI-powered recordings and surveillance • Digital shelf pricing arrives at Walmart and Kroger • Flipper Zero: voice-controlled hacking gadget gets an AI upgrade • Age verification laws create headaches for OS and app developers • Official White House app called out for surveillance and security blunders • Is AI progress barreling toward a dystopian tech future? Host: Leo Laporte Guests: Harper Reed, Brian McCullough, and Cathy Gellis Download or subscribe to This Week in Tech at https://twit.tv/shows/this-week-in-tech Join Club TWiT for Ad-Free Podcasts! Support what you love and get ad-free audio and video feeds, a members-only Discord, and exclusive content. Join today: https://twit.tv/clubtwit Sponsors: doppel.com outsystems.com/twit zscaler.com/security meter.com/twit ZipRecruiter.com/twit

TWiT 1076: I'm Monitoring the Situation - Meta's Horizon Worlds Stays Alive Against The Odds

Elon Musk faces a multi-billion dollar verdict after a California jury finds his tweets misled Twitter shareholders, raising the stakes for tech CEOs with unchecked social media influence. Plus, CBS kills its legendary radio news service while podcasting explodes, signaling a dramatic shift in how America consumes, trusts, and pays for news. CBS News Shutters Radio Service After Nearly a Century A US appeals court puts on hold an earlier ruling that had blocked Perplexity from using its agentic shopping tool to shop on Amazon's marketplace FBI is buying location data to track US citizens, director confirms The 49MB Web Page Microsoft unveils MAJOR improvements coming to Windows 11 this year — movable Taskbar, reduced RAM usage, less AI and ads, and much more CONFIRMED: "We are evolving how Windows is built behind the scenes to raise the quality bar" Meta will shut down VR Horizon Worlds access in June Meta changes course on Horizon Worlds VR shut-down Gamers react with overwhelming disgust to DLSS 5's generative AI glow-ups Jury agrees that Musk's tweets during Twitter takeover misled investors After three months, Samsung is ending sales of the $2,899 Galaxy Z TriFold 200,000 Devices Erased? Pro-Iran Hackers Hit US Firm With Data-Wiping Attack Japan to allow 'proactive cyber-defense' from October 1st Sears Exposed AI Chatbot Phone Calls and Text Chats to Anyone on the Web Arizona AG files criminal charges against Kalshi over 'illegal gambling' Major League Baseball Steps Into the Prediction Markets, Strikes Deal With Polymarket Polymarket is opening a bar where you can drink and watch the world unravel in real time It's been 20 years since the first tweet Project Hail Mary is movie medicine The futurist who helped define tech trend reports just killed them (literally) This new cassette player has USB-C and Bluetooth, in case you want to ditch Spotify Host: Leo Laporte Guests: Janko Roettgers, Dan Patterson, and Lisa Schmeiser Download or subsc

TWiT 1075: The Commonwealth Club - Meta Layoffs, DOGE Data Theft, & the Rise of AI Fails

From "gainfully employed robots" to AI that accidentally ruins lives, this week's conversation unpacks the real-world fallout of futuristic promises. Leo, JPT, Iain, and Richard tackle energy sources, social media effects, tech layoffs, and the algorithms quietly taking charge. Meta is planning sweeping layoffs as AI costs mount Meta Said to Push Back Launch of Avocado Model Social media addiction trial: the plaintiff, Meta, and YouTube make closing arguments; jurors begin deliberations Friday on liability for harm to children Trump administration will reportedly get $10 billion for brokering the TikTok deal Bluesky CEO Jay Graber will step aside Digg's open beta shuts down after just two months, blaming AI bot spam X says it suspended 800 million accounts in 2024 over spam and manipulation Fake AI Content About the Iran War Is All Over X Musk admits xAI 'not built right' — weeks after Tesla invested $2 billion Nvidia Is Planning to Launch an Open-Source AI Agent Platform Amazon Wins Court Order To Block Perplexity's AI Shopping Bots Social Security watchdog investigating claims that DOGE engineer copied its databases DOGE Deposition Videos Taken Down After Judge Order and Widespread Mockery U.S. State Bans on Lab-Grown Meats Challenged in Court Easy-to-use solar panels are coming, but utilities are trying to delay them EcoFlow brings its plug-in solar power plant to US homes (related to the plug-in solar story) TerraPower gets permit to build reactor Ex-Uber CEO Kalanick Debuts Plan for 'Gainfully Employed Robots' Tennessee grandmother jailed after AI facial recognition error links her to fraud Justice Department and Live Nation Reach Settlement Terms in Antitrust Case Palantir CEO Makes Shocking Confession on Disrupting Democratic Power Palantir's lethal AI weaponry deployed to find chairs for US government staff How Pokémon Go is giving delivery robots an inch-perfect view of the world 'Flying Cars' Will Take Off in American Skies This Sum

TWiT 1074: Chicken Mating Harnesses - Supreme Court Rules AI Art Not Copyrightable

Between copyright-free AI art, government blacklists, and data brokers run amok, this episode spotlights the fierce new battles for privacy, agency, and control in our digital lives. Plus, hear Cory Doctorow break down why the AI gold rush may be headed for a colossal crash. Pentagon Officially Tells Anthropic It Is a Supply Chain Risk Trump moves to blacklist Anthropic AI from all government work If AI is a weapon, why don't we regulate it like one? Sam Altman's greed and dishonesty are finally catching up to him ChatGPT user base surges 350% in 18 months as it nears 1 billion weekly active users AI-generated art can't be copyrighted after the Supreme Court declines to review the rule Chardet dispute shows how AI will kill software licensing, argues Bruce Perens Grammarly is using our identities without permission Alphabet Grants Sundar Pichai Stock Awards Worth Up to $686 Million Google vs Epic Games ends with Android app stores, lower fees Google Ends Its 30% App Store Fee, Welcomes Third-Party App Stores - Slashdot Xbox CEO confirms next-gen 'Project Helix' console will play PC games Motorola Partners With GrapheneOS - Slashdot Data Broker Breaches Fueled Nearly $21 Billion in Identity-Theft Losses CBP Tapped Into the Online Advertising Ecosystem To Track Peoples' Movements Proton Mail Helped FBI Unmask Anonymous 'Stop Cop City' Protester COPPA 2.0 passes the Senate again, unanimously this time South Korean Police Lose Seized Crypto By Posting Password Online Iranian drone strikes at Amazon sites raise alarms over protecting data centers Charter Gets FCC Permission To Buy Cox, Become Largest ISP In the US How Big Diaper absorbs billions of extra dollars from American parents Anne Wojcicki's Plan to Revive 23andMe: Rich Donors, Improved Tests—and Maybe Even MAHA Bundle of human neurons hooked to silicon learns to stumble through Doom 10% of Firefox crashes are caused by bitflips Seagate Just Unleashed 44TB Hard Drives Host: Leo Laporte

TWiT 1073: Broetry in Motion - Anthropic Stands Up to The Pentagon

Anthropic's clash with the Pentagon pits tech ethics against government demands, raising explosive questions about AI's role in surveillance and weaponry. If you care about who controls the future of artificial intelligence, this episode is a must-listen. Sam Altman says OpenAI shares Anthropic's red lines in Pentagon fight The whole thing was a scam OpenAI allows NSA to use GPT for surveilling Americans Anthropic's Claude hits No. 1 on Apple's top free apps list after Pentagon rejection Layoffs at Block Crypto exchange Gemini plans to lay off up to 200 staff, exit Europe, and Australia Netflix Backs Out of Bid for Warner Bros., Paving Way for Paramount Takeover An update on our model deprecation commitments for Claude Opus 3 \ Anthropic Keep Android Open Colorado moves age checks from websites to operating systems | Biometric Update Open source calculator firmware DB48X forbids CA/CO use due to age verification New Apple product launch starts Monday, Tim Cook confirms Everything announced at Samsung Unpacked: The Galaxy S26 Ultra, Galaxy Buds 4 and more Here's how the new Samsung Galaxy S26 compares with last year's S25 Hacked Prayer App Sends 'Surrender' Messages to Iranians Amid Israeli and US Strikes The Big One: The cyberattack scenarios that keep officials up at night CISA replaces acting director after a bumbling year on the job New AirSnitch attack bypasses Wi-Fi encryption in homes, offices, and enterprises Victory! Tenth Circuit Finds Fourth Amendment Doesn't Support Broad Search of Protesters' Devices and Digital Data Enthusiasts used their home computers to search for ET—scientists are homing in on 100 signals they found Americans now listen to podcasts more often than talk radio, study shows | TechCrunch Burger King Will Use AI To Check If Employees Say 'Please' and 'Thank You' Uber Previews Its Dubai Air Taxi Service - Slashdot Rob Grant, creator of Red Dwarf, has died Dan Simmons, author of Hyperion, Song of Kali, dead at 77

TWiT 1072: The Devil's Advocate - Jailbreaking Fighter Jets, Social Media Addiction, and Self-Driving Snafus

What do jailbreaking fighter jets, lost Amazon vans, and swapping your phone's smart features for a handful of mud have in common? TWiT dives into the wild, occasionally absurd future of tech, where yesterday's sci-fi is tomorrow's supply-chain headache. Mark Zuckerberg and his Ray-Ban entourage have their day in court Instagram Boss Says 16 Hours of Daily Use Is Not Addiction Meta Begins $65 Million Election Push To Advance AI Agenda - Slashdot Australia's Social Media Ban Is Isolating Kids With Disabilities—Just Like Critics Warned Google I/O 2026 set for May 19-20 Pixel 10A hands-on: More like a slightly better Pixel 9A than a slightly worse Pixel 10 Google announces Gemini 3.1 Pro, says it's better at complex problem-solving Tucson Daily Brief Leaked Email Suggests Ring Plans to Expand 'Search Party' Surveillance Beyond Dogs A $10K+ bounty is waiting for anyone who can unplug Ring doorbells from Amazon’s cloud Amazon delivery van accidentally gets stuck in the sea in Britain Tesla 'Robotaxi' adds 5 more crashes in Austin in a month – 4x worse than humans Government Docs Reveal New Details About Tesla and Waymo Robotaxis' Human Babysitters The Supreme Court's Tariff Ruling Won't Bring Car Prices Back to Earth A flood of cheap used EVs is coming Signal guide for everyday folks PayPal discloses data breach that exposed user info for 6 months Federal ban on TP-Link routers shelved, but Texas fights on You probably can't trust your password manager if it's compromised Mississippi health system shuts down clinics statewide after ransomware attack Fake Job Recruiters Hid Malware In Developer Coding Challenges F-35 Software Could Be Jailbreaked Like an IPhone: Dutch Defense Minister - Slashdot In a blind test, audiophiles couldn't tell the difference between audio signals sent through copper wire, a banana, or wet mud — 'The mud should sound perfectly awful, but it doesn't,' notes the experiment creator | Tom's Hardware Lab-Grown Meat Exist

TWiT 1071: Image Pickles - Are Social Platforms Addictive or Just Too Good?

Is social media addictive by design or just irresistible entertainment? The panel tackles the lawsuit that's dragging tech giants onto the witness stand and how surveillance tech is quietly expanding while lawmakers and users scramble to catch up. Jury told that Meta, Google 'engineered addiction' at landmark US trial Instagram Chief Says Social Media Is Not 'Clinically Addictive' in Landmark Trial Section 230 turns 30 as it faces its biggest tests yet Meta apparently thinks we're too distracted to care about facial recognition and Ray-Bans Amazon Ring's Super Bowl ad sparks backlash amid fears of mass surveillance Ring cancels its partnership with Flock Safety after surveillance backlash TikTok is tracking you, even if you don't use the app. Discord backtracks on controversial age verification rollout...kind of Discord/Twitch/Snapchat age verification bypass The DJI Romo robovac had security so poor that this man remotely accessed thousands of them HP's laptop subscriptions are a great deal — for HP FTC Ratchets Up Microsoft Probe, Queries Rivals on Cloud, AI T-Mobile announces its network is now full of AI by rolling out real-time translation Apple's latest attempt to launch the new Siri runs into snags SpaceX Prioritizes Lunar 'Self-Growing City' Over Mars Project, Musk Says Elon Musk declares victory with Medicaid data release Waymo Is Getting DoorDashers to Close Doors on Self Driving Cars Backblaze Drive Stats for 2025 $1.8 million MST3K Kickstarter brings in (almost) everyone from the old show OpenAI Is Nuking Its 4o Model. China's ChatGPT Fans Aren't OK Hideki Sato, designer of all Sega's consoles, has died Byte magazine artist Robert Tinney, who illustrated the birth of PCs, dies at 78 Launching The Rural Guaranteed Minimum Income Initiative Host: Leo Laporte Guests: Wesley Faulkner, Stacey Higginbotham, and Thomas Germain Download or subscribe to This Week in Tech at https://twit.tv/shows/this-week-in-tech Join Club TWiT for Ad-F

TWiT 1070: A Yacht for Your Yacht - Super Bowl LX Gets a Surge of AI Ads!

Will Elon Musk really launch a million data centers into orbit, and why is McDonald's so worried about you using "McNuggets" as your password? This week's tech roundtable takes on wild new frontiers and everyday security headaches with insight and a bit of irreverence. More schools are banning phones so students can focus. Ohio's results show it's not that simple After Australia, Which Countries Could Be Next to Ban Social Media for Children EU says TikTok must disable 'addictive' features like infinite scroll, fix its recommendation engine Anthropic and OpenAI release dueling AI models on the same day in an escalating rivalry Sam Altman says Anthropic's Super Bowl spot is 'dishonest' about ChatGPT ads, but he agrees it's funny Anthropic's Claude Opus 4.6 uncovers 500 zero-day flaws in open-source code Alphabet reports Q4 2025 revenue of $113.8 billion Amazon's blowout $200 billion AI spending plan stuns Wall Street A New Gilded Age: Big Tech goes on a $600 billion AI spending splurge Hidden Cameras in Chinese Hotels Are Livestreaming Guests To Thousands of Telegram Subscribers AI-generated ads hit the Super Bowl SpaceX acquires xAI, plans to launch a massive satellite constellation to power it Russia suspected of intercepting EU satellites Notepad++ hijacked by state-sponsored actors New York Wants to Ctrl+Alt+Delete Your 3D Printer Western Digital Plots a Path To 140 TB Hard Drives Using Vertical Lasers and 14-Platter Designs A Crisis comes to Wordle: Reusing old words The Wayback Machine debuts a new plug-in designed to fix the internet's broken links problem Project Hail Mary is getting its own LEGO set Dave Farber Host: Leo Laporte Guests: Larry Magid, Mike Elgan, and Louis Maresca Download or subscribe to This Week in Tech at https://twit.tv/shows/this-week-in-tech Join Club TWiT for Ad-Free Podcasts! Support what you love and get ad-free audio and video feeds, a members-only Discord, and exclusive content. Join today: https://twit.tv/

TWiT 1069: In My Head I Have 3 Buckets - Moltbook Becomes a Surreal AI Agent Social Network

What happens when AI bots get their own social network, Silicon Valley execs cozy up to power, and Apple takes a cut from creators? This week's panel calls out the bold, bizarre, and often problematic ways tech's biggest players are reshaping everything from AI assistants to your everyday privacy. There's a social network for AI agents, and it's getting weird Moltbook is the most interesting place on the internet right now Exposed Moltbook Database Let Anyone Take Control of Any AI Agent on the Site Pentagon clashes with Anthropic over military AI use, sources say Salesforce signs $5.6B deal to inject agentic AI into the US Army Angry Norfolk residents lose lawsuit to stop Flock license plate scanners SpaceX wants to put 1 million solar-powered data centers into orbit Elon Musk reportedly wants a June SpaceX IPO to align with his birthday, the planets Tesla hits a grim milestone: its second straight year of decline Tesla says production-ready Optimus robot is coming soon Microsoft reports strong cloud earnings in Q2 as gaming declines What We Learned From Meta, Microsoft and Tesla Apple tells Patreon to move creators to in-app purchase for subscriptions by November Apple CEO Tim Cook 'heartbroken' after repeated ICE killings in Minneapolis A rival smart glasses company is suing Meta over its Ray-Ban products TikTok, YouTube, and Meta are headed to court for a landmark trial over social media addiction The 'Social Media Addiction' Narrative May Be More Harmful Than Social Media Itself TikTok users freak out over app's 'immigration status' collection — here's what it means A Waymo hit a child near an elementary school in Santa Monica Autonomous cars, drones cheerfully obey prompt injection by road sign Samsung's TriFold phone will cost $2,899 in the US Groundhogs are bad at predicting weather, but they're valuable animal engineers\ Satellites encased in wood are in the works Belkin reminds users that its Wemo smart home products are shutting do